Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

Zhao Yan didn't care.

It doesn't matter where she sleeps.

But Xingyan...

"Okay, then we women will sleep in the rooms, and you can sleep in the communal sleeping area."

Upon hearing this, the innkeeper was delighted and asked the waiter to take them to the rooms.

Zhao Yan wasn't one to be coy; after a quick look, she asked Yang Sanlang to pay for the two nights' room in advance.

The innkeeper became increasingly polite to them.

Zhao Yan's side includes Dou Xingyan, Chen Qingjiao, and Zhao Xiaomi and her brother.

Yang Sanlang's side has Shen Yu, Yuan Tianbao, and the three brothers Zhao Yunchen.

After resting briefly at the inn, Zhao Yan, Yang Sanlang, and the others left the inn and headed to a nearby restaurant.

They booked a private room at the restaurant, enjoyed a delicious meal, and then looked forward to visiting the temple fair that evening.

Night falls quickly.

Before setting off, Zhao Yan called Zhao Xiaomi and Yuan Tianbao, along with a few other children, together and began to give them detailed instructions.

"Xiaomi, Tianbao, Yunjie, Yunqi, listen up! When we go out later, you must hold our hands tightly. It's the Lantern Festival these two days, and there will definitely be a lot of people on the streets. There will also be a lot of bad guys who kidnap children. If any of you get kidnapped while playing, you'll never see us again, understand?"

Zhao Xiaomi's face turned pale with fright, and she immediately nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I'm very good, I will definitely be obedient."

Zhao Yunjie and Zhao Yunqi were a few years older, and they knew what they were doing without Zhao Yan having to tell them.

As for Xiao Fu Niu and Xiao Fu Bao, well, Zhao Yan and Chen Qingjiao carried them the whole time, so they naturally weren't afraid of any bad people.

After giving them his instructions, Yang Sanlang led them onto the street.

This year has been blessed with favorable weather. Although Zhou Ning had previously ordered his officials to send troops to conscript men everywhere, he was quickly dealt with by Dou's army, and the people's lives have been relatively comfortable.

The streets were packed with people. Zhao Yan felt there were just too many people, so she simply bought a few dog leashes from the system shop and had Yang Sanlang tie one around the waist of each of Zhao Xiaomi, Yuan Tianbao, and the others.

That way, they wouldn't be afraid that Xiaomi and the others would get lost.

Dou Xingyan was overjoyed when she saw this.

"Sister Zhao, are you mistaking Xiaomi and the others for Little Gray and the others? Hahaha."

Before coming here, Yuan Tianbao specifically told his grandfather to take good care of the little gray animals.

I wonder if they've been eating well? Or if they've missed them?

Zhao Yan smiled and said, "I'm just worried that Xiaomi and the others will be kidnapped by the kidnappers. Look at all these people, it scares me."

Perhaps it was because Dou Qingran issued a series of policies that benefited the country and its people after taking office that the people were full of hope for the future.

Therefore, there were so many people visiting the temple fair tonight that it was almost impossible to stand on the street.

Finally, having no other choice, Zhao Yan and several adults, including Yang Sanlang, walked around the perimeter, protecting Zhao Xiaomi and the others as they moved forward little by little.

Although we walked slowly, there were various performances on both sides of the road, so it wasn't boring.

They walked around until Xiaomi and the others' calves ached before Zhao Yan and the others finally returned to the inn.

The next day, they stayed at the inn, eating and sleeping there. They went out for a stroll together for a while that night, and then everyone went to bed early.

Early on the third day, Zhao Yan and the others had breakfast at the inn before slowly boarding a carriage to head back.

Zhao Xiaomi rubbed her sore calves and couldn't help but complain, "Mom, I'm so tired. I'm never going to a temple fair again."

"hehe."

Zhao Yan smiled and nodded seriously.

"Well, I don't like going to temple fairs either. From now on, we'll just stay home and not go anywhere."

what?

This……

Zhao Xiaomi then remembered that it was she who had insisted on going out to play in the first place.

Now she's complaining to her mother, isn't that contradicting herself?

Ha ha.

Dou Xingyan looked at her teasingly, wanting to tease Xiaomi a bit, but afraid that Xiaomi would be too shy and cry later, she couldn't help herself.

……

Once the Lantern Festival is over, the New Year holiday is considered to be over.

The day had come for Dou Xingyan and Shen Yu to leave.

Dou Qingran seemed to be calculating the time. Just two days after the Lantern Festival, the people who came to pick up Dou Xingyan arrived at the farm.

"Sister Zhao, I don't want to leave you..."

Before parting, Dou Xingyan hugged Zhao Yan and cried.

She spent a winter at the farm and suddenly fell in love with the place.

With mountains and rivers, and a mild climate year-round, this place is much more comfortable to live in than Beijing.

If possible, she would like to move her family here.

Zhao Yan patted the back of her hand and said with a smile, "How can you not go back? Your brother is the emperor, after all. You, the emperor's own sister, are not married yet. It's not appropriate for you to stay outside for a long time."

"If you really don't want to leave, then you should quickly beg your brother to give in so you can marry Brother Shen as soon as possible. After that, you can stay here as long as you want. If that doesn't work, I'll even build you a house here. What do you say?"

"Yes, yes, Sister Zhao, that's exactly what I was thinking of saying."

In fact, Dou Xingyan had had this idea for a long time, but she was too embarrassed to say it.

She hugged Zhao Yan's arm and said, "Sister Zhao, why don't you help me build a house nearby? I plan to live here for half a year and then live in Beijing for half a year."

She has thought it all out.

I spend the summer and winter here at the farm, and then return to Beijing in the spring and autumn.

“The house will be built according to your layout. I like this layout and it’s very comfortable to live in.”

Zhao Yan naturally wouldn't refuse.

She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll have your brother Yang find someone after the ground thaws."

Dou Xingyan was overjoyed and said, "Okay, I'll return the money to you later."

Zhao Yan immediately waved her hand.

"No need, it's not worth much anyway."

"That won't do. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. It may not be worth much, but it's still money. You have to pay."

Dou Xingyan secretly gave Shen Yu a wink.

Shen Yu understood and silently walked over to hand her a dark-colored purse.

Dou Xingyan took the purse, pulled out a handful of gold leaves, and said to Zhao Yan, "Sister Zhao, I don't have any silver on me, only these gold leaves. Please use them first, and I'll give you more if you need more later."

Seeing that she insisted, Zhao Yan no longer stood on ceremony and immediately accepted the gold leaf.

"Okay, that's enough."

After chatting for a while longer, Dou Xingyan reluctantly boarded the carriage and headed to the capital with Shen Yu.

After they left, Zhao Yan handed the gold leaf to Yang Sanlang and said to him, "Sanlang, go find Brother Zhou these next two days and ask him to find someone to build a house."

"I'm leaving this matter to you. It's best to have the house finished before Xingyan comes next time."